Focus
James Merrill (1926-1995)
has been called "the leading lyric poet of his generation." Merrill was
prolific writer of poetry, fiction, and drama. He won a Pulitzer Prize
for Divine Comedies, and was twice a National Book Award recipient:
once for Nights and Days and again for Mirabell: Books
of Number. Merrill received the Bollingen Prize in Poetry, a National
Book Critics Circle Award for The Changing Light at Sandover, and
the Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National prize for poetry. He served as Connecticut's
Poet Laureate.
James Merrill had a long
association with Washington University Libraries. The Special Collections
department is the primary repository for his papers. It houses a nearly
comprehensive collection of works by or about Merrill as well as most of
his manuscripts and wide array of photographs, interviews, and ephemera.
Registration
Register using our online form, or contact the department.
Washington University Libraries
Special Collections, Campus Box 1061
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis MO 63130-4899
phone: (314) 935-5495
e-mail: spec@library.wustl.edu
We need your name, address, and which events you plan to attend. All attendees must register by March 15th.
Parking Passes
Parking passes may be picked up before each event at the registration table.
Location
All events will take place
on the main campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The campus is
located in the midst of the greater St. Louis metro area, just north of
I-64/40. The University is less than 20 minutes from Lambert International
Airport.
Accomodations
The hotels listed below
are located within a few miles of Washington University and will extend
a special rate to guests for our event. Inform the hotel reservationist
that you will be attending the James Merrill event at Washinton University.
The Chase Park Plaza
212-232 N. Kingshighway
Blvd.
St. Louis, Missouri 63108
877-587-2427 (toll-free)
$125, one-bedroom suite
The Daniele Hotel
216 North Meramec
St. Louis, Missouri 63105
800-325-8302
$109, standard double
or king room
Additional
accomodations in the St. Louis area
Thursday
March 22, 2001
Program
Presentations
Moot Courtroom, Room 48, Anheuser-Busch Hall
(Law School)
2:30 P.M. Lecture by Timothy
J. Materer:
"The Black Swan: James Merrill's Signature Poem"
3:00 P.M. Discussion of the Collected
Poems and
Selected Letters
with:
J.D.
McClatchy
Stephen
Yenser
Jack
Hagstrom
Reception & Exhibition
Special Collections Department, Olin Library,
level 5
4:30 P.M. Reception & Exhibition
"James Merrill: Other Writings"
Reading of James Merrill's Poetry
Simon Hall Auditorium (Business School)
7:30 P.M. Readings by
Mary
Jo Bang
William
H. Gass
J.D.
McClatchy
Lynne
McMahon
Carl
Phillips
Sherod
Santos
Stephen
Yenser
8:30 P.M. Slide presentation on
Merrill's life and work.
Compiled by J.D.
McClatchy
Reception & Exhibition
Special Collections Department, Olin
Library, level 5
9:00 P.M. The newly published work Collected
Poems: James Merrill (Knopf, February, 2001) along with other books
by Merrill and recent works by program participants will be available for
purchase. Refreshments.
Connect to:
Special
Collections
The
James Merrill Papers
Audio and Video clips of a reading by James Merrill.
A
Catalog list of print holdings by Merrill |
